Catinca Untaru

With the New Year just around the corner, let's reflect on the controversies that made headlines in 2023 within the Indian film industry.Adipurush dialoguesOm Raut made the mythical drama 'Adipurush' with the dream of bringing the story of 'Ramayan' to the silver screen but it didn't go well among fans and garnered unanimously negative responses from various quarters.'Adipurush' sparked discussion online as viewers severely critiqued the film's dialogues.The film featured Prabhas, Kriti Sanon and Saif Ali Khan in the lead. People were largely disappointed due to the film's poor VFX and the unrealistic look of various characters including Saif's Raavan. Seeing Saif donning short spiked hair, long beard and kajal eyes, several netizens have compared the actor's look in the film with that of Alauddin Khilji rather than Raavana.Despite the fact that the creators made some changes to the dialogue following Adipurush's release, the film was nonetheless subjected to extensive trolling.2. Alia Bhatt lipstick statementActor Ranbir Kapoor was criticised following his wife and actor Alia Bhatt's statements during an interview. During a lipstick-applying lesson for Vogue in August, she stated that her husband prefers her natural lip colour and has previously during their dating days requested her to 'wipe off' lipstick.While Alia seemingly thought she was sharing a cute detail about her relationship with Ranbir, many social media users did not think so.In the video, she said, "One thing my husband...when he wasn't my husband but when he was my boyfriend as well... he would be like 'wipe that off, wipe that off' because he loves the natural colour of my lips."Alia's statement led to the public labelling Ranbir as a "toxic" husband and a "red flag". After being trolled, the 'Animal' actor also reacted to the trolls who call him 'toxic'.During his interaction with fans via Zoom, Ranbir said, " I was reading some article about being toxic and something relating to some statement I made and I understand this. And I am on the side of the people who are fighting for the toxic masculinity, if they use me as the face of it, it's fine because their fight is bigger than just me feeling sad about them having an opinion about what I said. I look at a larger picture."3. Animal's misogynistic plot'Animal', a film directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, became a point of debate near the end of 2023. While many praised star Ranbir Kapoor's performance, some viewers considered the film offensive. The representation of toxic masculinity, misogyny, a chauvinistic mindset, unnecessary violence, and awful treatment of women sparked outrage online.The film starred Ranbir Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Anil Kapoor and Rashmika Mandanna in the lead roles.4. Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh's KWK 8 episodeFilmmaker Karan Johar's famous chat show 'Koffee With Karan', often called as the controversial couch, featured the power couple Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh in season 8 this year. However, the episode stirred controversy when Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh spoke up about the early days of their relationship, eliciting varied emotions from fans and trolls alike.Deepika admitted that she had casually dated other men after meeting Ranveer sparking debate, with social media ablaze with her comment.During the show, Deepika confessed, "There was no 'commitment' as such." Even if we were technically allowed to see other people, we would just keep coming back to each other." This comment sparked a flurry of reactions online, with some admirers applauding her candour and others criticising her for her prior decisions.This statement was not taken well by fans who trolled her for using Ranveer as a backup plan.Rashmika Mandanna's deepfake videoAside from film-related controversies, an ugly aspect of technology grabbed our attention this year. Several celebrities' viral AI deepfake videos shocked both fans and celebs.In the unconfirmed video, it was seen that woman with Rashmika's face was entering a lift wearing a black swimsuit. The video quickly went viral and several social media users came forward to confirm that it was a deepfake.After the video went viral, Rashmika reacted and penned a note on Instagram story, which read, "Something like this is honestly, extremely scary not only for me, but also for each one of us who today is vulnerable to so much harm because of how technology is being misused.""Today, as a woman and as an actor, I am thankful for my family, friends and well-wishers who are my protection and support system. But if this happened to me when I was in school or college, I genuinely can't imagine how could I ever tackle this," she added."We need to address this as a community and with urgency before more of us are affected by such identity theft,"Apart from Rashmika, Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt and Kajol among others fell prey to the same.

A Global Cinematic Arts Institute and virtual Production center, named after American Film Director Martin Scorsese, will be established at the directors alma mater, New York Universitys Tisch School of the Arts, through a gift from George Lucas and Mellody Hobsons Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation.In an announcement made on Tuesday, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, NYU called it largest gift in the schools history. Lucas and Hobson said in a statement, We are thrilled to be able to honor our dear friend Martin Scorsese. Through this gift in his name, the Scorsese Institute of Global Cinematic Arts deservedly highlights his legacy as a quintessential American filmmaker and will inspire generations of diverse, talented students. Through time-honored scholarship and hands-on instruction on the state-of-the-art digital technology at the Institute, artistic vision will come to life where storytelling meets innovation.The Martin Scorsese Virtual Production Center will house studios and soundstages for training in cinematography and virtual production technology at the intersection of digital and physical visualization, including video animation, performance capture, live compositing and live in-camera visual effects.With the gift, NYUs Cinema Studies Department, which offers a degree in Moving Image Archiving and Preservation, will be renamed the Martin Scorsese Department of Cinema Studies. The department will include a new endowed Martin Scorsese Chair of Cinema Studies and expanded student support through the establishment of a new permanent, endowed scholarship fund and yearly internship stipends.Scorsese, who also serves as founder and chair of the Film Foundation, has long extolled the importance of film preservation. The legendary filmmaker thanked Lucas, Hobson and their foundation in a statement saying that their generosity of spirit and deed is deeply moving, adding,At this stage in the technological development of cinema, when filmmakers of all orientations and obsessions use digital alteration for all kinds of reasons, virtual production represents a quantum leap forward. It allows us to visualize as we work. Whether were creating an imagined world or re-creating a world gone by, the speed of virtual production allows us to see what were creating in real time. We can think with it.NYU president Andrew Hamilton added, Martin Scorseses ability to probe the human condition with depth, finesse, and nuance is unparalleled. Few, if any, filmmakers can match his stunning legacy or his talent for experimenting with new technology while staying true to a signature storytelling vision.Added Tisch dean Allyson Green, This remarkable gift will enable our diverse, global graduates to study the cinematic past, and to create our cinematic future.On the work front, Martin Scorsese directed Pretend It's a City was released on January 8, 2021 on Netflix. The series features Fran Lebowitz and Scorsese as they delve into her personal beliefs and thoughts on New York City. This was Scorsese's second documentary featuring Lebowitz, the first being Public Speaking (2010) which was released on HBO. Scorsese will next direct a biopic feature on the Grateful Dead for Apple Studios featuring Jonah Hill.